Our services
What MACS Bid Studio delivers
Most architecture and design firms don't have a bid problem. They have a systems problem. MACS Bid Studio fixes it by building the infrastructure your firm has never had, then running it with you.
Every engagement starts with understanding your firm. From there, the path depends on where you are - firms with some infrastructure in place can move faster; firms starting from scratch get the full build. All proposals are produced in InDesign, regardless of which retainer you're on.
Start here.
Free Bid Process Diagnostic
NO COST · NO OBLIGATION
Before anything is built or bought, it helps to know exactly what's broken.
A 30-minute conversation is all it takes. I'll ask you to walk me through the last few bids - how they came in, who did what, what felt hard, what got left undone. Most people find it useful just to say it out loud to someone who's seen the same problems in fifty other firms.
Afterwards, I prepare a short written report: what I found, where the time is being lost, and what I'd propose to fix it. You keep the report regardless of what you decide to do next.
The right starting point if you're not sure what you need - or if you want to understand the problem properly before committing to a solution.
Get in touch to book your free diagnostic.
Foundation Sprint
SCOPED PER FIRM · SHORT ENGAGEMENT
For firms that want to see the system working before committing to a full setup.
The Foundation Sprint gets the core infrastructure in place - enough to run a real bid through a proper system, not a broken one. It's a focused, bounded engagement scoped around your firm's most immediate need, working with what you already have.
It's the right option if you're ready to move but want to see the results before going all in.
Scope is confirmed in a diagnostic or scoping conversation.
The Setup
ONE OFF ENGAGEMENT · SCOPED PER FIRM
Before anything else, your firm needs a foundation. The Setup Engagement builds your complete bid system from scratch - the processes, the tools, the templates, and the AI configuration - so every proposal that follows starts from a position of strength, not a blank page.
Everything built in the Setup Engagement is owned by your firm. It doesn't walk out the door if a staff member leaves.
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For firms that already have some infrastructure in place - a shared drive, existing templates, some content - and need the AI and process layer built properly on top of it.
The Essentials Setup includes AI configuration, folder architecture, SOP manual, and a staff orientation session. Your team leaves knowing how to use the system. Your next bid starts from a proper foundation, not a blank page.
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The complete reset. For firms starting from scratch, or those that want every element of the bid system built properly — not just the process layer, but everything that sits underneath it.
Includes everything in Essentials, plus Notion bid database, image library, content library, bid register, and full staff training.
When the Full Studio Setup is complete, your firm has a system that is documented, trained, and ready to run — and that stays with the firm regardless of who is sitting in the bid coordinator's chair.
Ongoing support
MONTHLY RETAINER · MINIMUM 6 MONTHS
Once the system is built, we help keep it running. Every bid gets the full treatment - tender analysis, AI-assisted content production, InDesign layout, quality check, and submission. Your principals review and approve. They don't draft, format, or hunt for references.
The Ongoing Support retainer is priced to cost significantly less than a full-time bid coordinator - without the turnover risk, without the overhead during quiet periods, and with senior expertise rather than a junior hire.
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For small studios with a steady but modest bid volume. Up to 2 x bids per month and ongoing library maintenance.
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For practices with a regular pipeline that needs consistent senior input on every submission.
Up to four bids per month, competitor intelligence researched for each opportunity, and a pre-bid strategy session before writing begins - so every proposal starts with a clear angle, not a blank page.
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For medium-sized practices running high volume who need a bid function that operates like an in-house team - without the overhead of one.
Up to six bids per month, competitor intelligence, pre-bid strategy sessions, quarterly system optimisation, and priority turnaround on urgent submissions.
The system gets sharper over time. Quarterly optimisation sessions mean the content library, go/no-go criteria, and AI configuration improve with every bid cycle.
Your principals review and approve. They don't write.
Additional Bid Support
PER BID
For bids that fall outside your retainer allowance, or for firms not yet on a retainer who need support for a specific submission. Every engagement includes end-to-end bid management - strategy, content, design, and submission.
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A straightforward tender response for a project where the scope is well-defined and the client relationship is clear. Typically includes a cover letter, project experience, team CVs, a light methodology or project understanding section, a fee proposal, and a schedule of exclusions.
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A multi-section submission requiring competitor intelligence and a pre-bid strategy session before writing begins.
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A high-stakes government or flagship submission requiring deeper preparation before writing begins. Includes client intelligence research, a pre-bid strategy session with your principal to develop a clear win theme, custom methodology diagrams, and extended production time. For complex government RFTs, multi-stage procurement processes, or any bid where the stakes are high enough to warrant the full strategic treatment.
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Bids involving subconsultants. Includes subconsultant coordination, CV and content management across all partners.
Add-ons
Opportunity Monitoring with Percolated
Most tender monitoring services send alerts. Percolated goes further - it scores every opportunity against your firm's specific criteria profile before any human time is spent on it, and connects directly to the bid production workflow when you decide to proceed.
Every morning, a digest lands in your bid manager's inbox: Pursue, Review, or Decline, with a one-paragraph reasoning summary for each. Principals see only the opportunities that have already passed the filter. Nothing sits in spam. Nothing slips through a portal you forgot to check.
Available as a standalone service or as an add-on to any retainer engagement.
Graphics Package
A complete suite of professionally designed, branded templates - proposal covers, section dividers, project reference sheets, CV layouts, capability statements, and more - built in InDesign and designed to receive content directly from the MACS Bid Studio system.
Available as a standalone engagement or bundled with any setup tier.
Get in touch for a full package breakdown and pricing.
The MACS Bid Studio system runs on a small set of best-in-class tools. Clients hold their own accounts - this is a data privacy requirement, not a preference. Your firm's content stays in your firm's systems.
Every engagement starts with a conversation.
30 minutes is enough to work out what your firm needs and whether MACS Bid Studio is the right fit.